It is December and literally everywhere we go are reminders that “Tis the Season.” For Christians, it is the season of Advent, the coming of the Christ Child, the Emmanuel, the arrival of God with us, God Incarnate.

The incarnation of God is a great mystery. Jesus leaves heaven and allows Himself to be born a baby, a fully human baby. The birth of a baby is generally a happy thing, a blessed event. But in the case of the birth of Jesus, it is a miracle, and one which cannot happen in the normal course of life. But it did happen! And with it came the long-awaited Messiah, who brings salvation to all who will accept Him.

Think about it. He comes. He comes to earth where He too is subject to time and space and all the realities and temptations of a fallen world. He is still fully God, but He comes as we all come into the world – in the human flesh of a baby. Jesus, the Son of God, leaves eternity; and in doing so, He manifests God among us. And what He leaves, we gain.

No one puts it more beautifully than John in the first verses of his Gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God. All things were made through Him,

and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him

was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light

shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Why would He leave Heaven and come? In a word – Love. Something has happened to His beautiful light-filled creation. That something is sin. But just as the love of God created the world and all that we can know or imagine, His love was sent to right every wrong, destroy the works of evil, offer us all salvation and eternal life. How? – through the birth and death of the Only Begotten Son of God. The ‘Good News’ is, God’s love is more powerful than the power of sin and death. That is a point that we should not gloss over or take for granted.

We know the story well. Birth is celebrated at Christmas. Christ, the incarnate, came that first Christmas. And each year we acknowledge it yet again. Each year we are offered the opportunity to experience this mystery, the mystery of God’s deep love. For Jesus came; He comes; and He will come again.

In most churches, we celebrate the Advent Wreath; the first candle we light is the candle of ‘hope.’ If ever we needed hope, we need it this Christmas and in the months to come. We all come to impasses in our lives where we need the hope only the Savior can give. But this year the hope we need is more than just personal; it is corporate. We are at an impasse in the United Methodist Church. We have been approaching this impasse for some time and many of us have been afraid to meet it head on.

Our Church has sought unity in every possible way, trying to reconcile the irreconcilable. Our leaders have studied the issue from every angle. Some of us have ignored the issue; we haven’t talked about it. We have just kept on being the church and making disciples. Others have been on a crusade to change the church into a shape of their own, one that accommodates the current sexually permissive culture. Still others have been like the ‘watchmen’ of Ezekiel 33 warning the church it is going astray.

So what does the incarnate Jesus have to say to us?

Perhaps His answer is found in His birth. For God sent His Son into a family; He sent Jesus to Mary and Joseph, the holy family. By the very birth of Jesus, we are reminded that the original family was holy, being made in the image of God, male and female, and told to be fruitful and multiply. And in a real sense, when we strive to reject or redefine God’s original plan for humankind, we reject God’s incarnate Son sent to save us. John in the fourth chapter of his first letter tells us as much.

The answer also lies in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John Chapter 3. He points us to birth, or to be more exact – rebirth. We must be born again. For by Christ’s incarnation comes the promise of complete human redemption and perfection and the restoration of ‘the body’ to be the organ of the Holy Spirit. Each of us is meant to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. There are also profound implications for the church – the ‘body’ corporate.

Maybe we won’t fully understand what God is doing until after the special General Conference in February of next year. Maybe what happens at that conference won’t play out as painfully and destructively as it has in other denominations. Then again, birth can be painful; it is associated with travail. But when the process is over, we rejoice that new life has come!

As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s coming and the New Year, let us remember the promise of new life that Jesus offers each of us and to our church. Let us keep the promise of birth and rebirth before us and not lose heart.

For, whatever happens, God is with us.

For us at Renew, we will be celebrating you – our faithful network, who prays for our work and whose contributions make it happen. It has been an outstanding year. We have helped churches refocus their women’s ministries to be more gospel centered. Our analysis has helped women’s groups discern various teachings that offer more of the world than of the Word. Your faithful support enabled Renew to give their first scholarship to an outstanding young evangelical woman, who is making a difference in the United Methodist Church. (More about her later.) And let us not forget our new website. Your faithfulness has made this and more happen.

Please be in prayer for our church. Your end of the year gifts will make it possible for Renew to be present at the Special General Conference in February 2019.

Stand with us by going on the Renew Website and printing the Donations Form. Or you may designate a check to Renew Network and send to:

I love these words spoken by Gabriel to Mary in the first chapter of Luke, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” This is a remarkable passage of hope. The Christmas Story begins with the Annunciation; Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to the savior of the world! Mary was an unmarried virgin; she knew that having a baby was impossible for her. She does not doubt that what the angel has proclaimed to her will come about. But she does ask “how.”

Christmas brings with it many “how” questions: how will I get all this shopping done; how will I keep up with all the extra festivities; how, how, how? We all face impossible people and situations in our lives, which have a tendency to be more impossible at this time of the year, when the normal pressures of Christmas are bearing down on us. We too ask, “how” can we experience the hope, peace, joy and love that is meant to be ours during Christmas? Experience whispers, “It is impossible.” But even the things we think are unfathomable, and the things we have given up on, do not take God by surprise. They are not impossible for Him.

This year many of us are asking “how” will we navigate the crisis in our United Methodist Church? How can the UMC have unity and irreconcilable differences over human sexuality? Deep theological truths are at stake. The very essence of our faith is under assault. In the midst of our dilemma, Luke’s Christmas Story tells of another angel who, along with a host of angels, appears to the shepherds and says, “Do not be afraid!” They announce the good tidings of great joy for all of us; God is with us. He will save us. New birth will bring the answer!

At Renew, we too sometimes ask, “How is this possible?” How is it possible that a small group of volunteer women can make a difference for women in the UMC. What seems impossible at times has been made possible. You who support Renew with your prayers and your gifts have made our work possible.

This Christmas, Renew has much in which to rejoice. Our magazine articles have encouraged renewal in women’s ministries and mission. Independent, vital women’s ministry and mission is increasing and thriving across the landscape of the church. We have had a number of requests from pastors and women’s leaders to connect with Renew for the purpose of growing their ministries. They are interested in un-politicized mission opportunities that offer Christ, program materials that provide for spiritual growth, and opportunities to deepen their relationship with Jesus.

Monitoring the United Methodist Women’s National (UMWN) office continues to be an important aspect of our work. If you read my last newsletter (here) you know the important role Renew played in the 90s to bring the Re-Imagining Conference to the attention of all the renewal groups in the United Methodist Church and other denominations. More recently, Renew has exposed the UMWN teaching on The Bible and Human Sexuality. You can find an excellent review by Faye Short on the website (here). New this year on the UMWN Reading Program was a book titled, If Eve Only Knew; Freeing Yourself from Biblical Womanhood. The book is actually sourced by many of the original presenters at the 1993 Re-Imagining Conference and encourages the women to turn to Sophia and a feminist understanding of God.

With this kind of teaching coming out of UMWN, it is not unexpected that the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) reports a staggering decline in UMW units and individual members. Renew does not rejoice in this decline, but we are not surprised. The UMW decline reinforces the wisdom of the 2016 General Conference to pass legislation that officially recognizes alternative women’s ministry in the church. You can read about GCFA’s statistics in a Perspective article by Tom Lambrecht (here).

This year when you make your end-of-year giving, I hope you will include Renew Network. In addition to all that I have described, your contributions will help us launch a new updated website and a scholarship for female evangelical, orthodox seminary students.

Stand with us by going on the Renew website to download or print the Donations Form. Or you may designate a check to Renew Network and send to:

I hope you have been enjoying the celebration of the Good News 50 Year Anniversary. Our editor Steve Beard has done an admirable job on the time line and the articles that remind us of why Good News came into being. I was asked to write an article for the July/August magazine, “A Woman’s Voice For Renewal,” which was a brief history of the role RENEW Network played and continues to play in the renewal movement. As I prepared, I was led to reread many of the reports and analyses that chronicled the challenges and concerns faced by women in the United Methodist Church. Interestingly, many of the issues encountered in the decades of the 70s, 80s, and 90s are still concerns today. I found plenty to prove that old adage: “there is nothing new under the sun.”

One particularly interesting report I came across was a history of the accomplishments of RENEW written by founder and president, Faye Short, at the time of her retirement. Faye recounted the role RENEW played in bringing the Re-Imagining Conference to the attention of not only Good News and the other United Methodist renewal groups, but also evangelicals in the Presbyterian and American Baptist denominations. It was while monitoring one of the Women’s Division board meetings that RENEW picked up on the planned 1993 Re-Imagining Conference.

The Re-Imagining Conference was just the midpoint event of the Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women developed by the radical World Council of Churches. The Ecumenical Decade was designated to celebrate and study feminist, womanist, and lesbian theological perspectives. What originally made it noteworthy to the women of the church was the fact that the Women’s Division had gained General Conference sanction to participate in the Ecumenical Decade. A study book by the same title was offered to United Methodist Women as a resource. Faye Short explains,

“When I, as president of RENEW, reviewed this workbook, I was shocked at the blatant radical feminist content, promoted by well-known feminist authors such as Virginia Mollenkott, Barbara Lundblad, and others. It propelled me into a year’s research on radical feminism and its incursion into the church. Good News hosted a summer celebration, at which RENEW presented a workshop on the Ecumenical Decade, exposing the radical content of the study book.

Not long after, while attending one of the Women’s Division board meetings, RENEW’s press rep picked up printed material promoting the upcoming 1993 Re-Imagining Conference, which was the midpoint event of the Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women program. The material revealed that this conference was to be a “coming out” of radical feminism. I alerted the women of our network to the potential danger of this event, and, as I recall, encouraged them to discourage the Women’s Division from participation. As the event drew closer, I had a telephone call from a Catholic women’s leader in California encouraging RENEW to send a press representative to the meeting. She was not able to attend, but recognized the radical nature of the event, saying she believed it would be a “high water mark” for radical feminism.”

If you have read the article by Jim Heidinger, titled, Re-Imagining And The Trivialization of Doctrine, also in the July/August Good News Magazine, you know the conference was indeed a high water mark for feminist and lesbian theology. You know that the Good News staff listened to the recordings of more than 34 presentations given at the Re-Imagining Conference. And, in addition to goddess worship, you know the egregious attack made on biblical human sexuality, the family, the deity of Christ, and the core tenets of the Christian faith. And you know the woefully inadequate response of our bishops.

Annual Re-Imagining Conferences continued for several years during the remainder of the WCC’s Ecumenical Decade. The Women’s Division continued to participate, never acknowledging the escalating egregious nature of the gatherings. Renew had press reps at every Re-Imagining Conference, and Faye Short wrote many articles and letters to the women of the UMC. No doubt, the Women’s Division’s commitment to Re-Imagining was a major cause of UMW funding and membership loss.

Yes, there is nothing new under the sun. The church, the gospel, and all we hold dear is still being challenged. Vigilance remains essential. RENEW’s monitoring of the Women’s Division played a huge role in alerting Good News and the entire church to the theological crisis brought on by the Re-Imagining Conference. It played a role in 2016, when I was monitoring a UMW board meeting and learned that the spiritual life study The Bible and Human Sexuality would question the moral teaching on sexuality found in the Old and New Testament, and instead teach our young women a new sexual ethic based on mere consent and safety. And it will continue to be important in our present theological crisis, as we patiently await the proposals of the Bishops’ Commission.

This fall, a press representative and I will again attend the UMW board meeting to be held in their New York offices at 475 Riverside Drive and the Church Center for the United Nations. On one hand, it is tempting to think that we will hear nothing but the same-old, same-old. Nevertheless, it will be an important meeting.

We at RENEW are confident, because we know the day will come when everything will be new under the sun, or rather everything will be new under the Son of God, Jesus the Christ who is the beginning and the end, and who is, and who was, and who is to come.

Until that time, in addition to monitoring, RENEW has been working with women and pastors who have sought us out to help them find ministry models and materials for programs that meet their needs for spiritual growth and authentic kingdom mission. Our website is being updated to better serve these requests. You will find much that is new there.

As we leave the days of summer behind and begin a new school year, let us all recommit to fight the good fight and after having done all – to stand firm. Many thanks to you who have stood firm with us over the years. Your prayers and support make our monitoring and ministry work possible. If you haven’t made a contribution to RENEW recently, we trust you will. I promise you it will be put to good work.

Good News is celebrating 50 years in the renewal movement of the United Methodist Church. If you haven’t read the magazine’s excellent articles in the last two editions – please do. They informed my deep appreciation for the role Good News has played to bring about renewal and revival of classical Wesleyan doctrine.

As our church in the states has become more influenced by secular agendas in our decaying culture, Good News has been faithful to proclaim the gospel and challenge the church to be faithful to the faith once delivered to the saints.

Renew has been a part of these past 50 years. As the church drifted away from classical orthodoxy, founder Faye Short began to shine light on the theological error coming out of the Women’s Division and now the UMW National office. Whether it was liberation theology, the Sophia movement, tying the mission of the church to the goals of the UN, advocating radical feminism, or substituting progressive public policy for the proclamation of the gospel, Renew has been faithful to report these disturbing developments.

Today Renew must challenge the United Methodist Women’s teaching on human sexuality. Let’s just call it what it is. It is the cultural issue that is pressuring the church to adopt unbiblical false teaching. Let me give you an example.

My last two updates drew attention to the UMW spiritual life study, The Bible and Human Sexuality, which was taught to women all over the country in Mission U last summer. This study asked the church to embrace a new sexual ethic based on consent and safety. It casted doubt on classic orthodox moral teaching on sexuality in favor of “new interpretations” that undercut our understanding of sin, repentance, righteousness, and holiness.

Even worse, in 2017, the UMW reading list added another book, Femmevangelical: The Modern Girl’s Guide to the Good News. This book illustrates the UMW National’s commitment to transform the church’s sexual ethic so it is inclusive of current sexual practice.

Author Jennifer Crumpton speaks of discarding “tired ‘Christian lady’ stuff about purity, piety, patience, prudence, and obedience.” She advocated for overthrowing the “slyly suffocating, subordinating effects of male-dominant religion.” She wants to build a relationship with a “different God.” She uses the words of Jesus in Luke 12, “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” to give women the evangelical license to determine for themselves what is right and good and sexually acceptable to God.

What is Renew’s Response?

It saddens us to recognize that do-it-yourself morality is being substituted for the clear, righteous, holy ethical teaching of Jesus. We should remember that liberal progressive influences have brought the church to the present crisis. They cannot lead us out. We must see attacks on our faith for what they are.

New at Renew

Renew is indebted to our founder and president emeritus, Faye Short for a thorough analysis of The Bible and Human Sexuality. This resource can be found on the Renew Website. It details and combats the revisionist teaching of this so-called spiritual study. It will be helpful to the women of the church not only to recognize false interpretation of scripture, but also can be used to steer our congregations away from teaching that does not show us the way, the truth or how to find real life in Him.

Also you will find Sacredness in Sexuality by Mary Lambrecht. Mary points us to God’s true plan for sexuality which stems from His love, not man’s, which is holy, sacred, joyful, and life-giving.

Renew continues to minister to the church with truth and love. Please check out our website and Facebook page for new resources including critique, vibrant ministry, and mission ideas. And feel free to contact us by phone; we are blessed by your calls, your prayers and continued support.

Stand with us by going on the Renew Website to download or print the Donations Form. Or you may designate a check to Renew Network and send to:
Good News
P.O. Box 132076
The Woodlands, TX 77393-2076
Fax: 832.813.5327

Please be praying for the Judicial Council, who meets next week to decide the legality of the election and consecration of a lesbian married bishop.

I hope to see many of you in Memphis, April 28-29 at the Wesley Covenant Association meeting. If you haven’t made plans you can do so here.

It is Holy Week as I write this update. I can’t help but wonder what the disciples were thinking in the days leading up to Christ’s resurrection? Did they experience despair; did they want to give up and leave? Given that many of them fled and hid in fear, I think it safe to say they did.

Certainly the crisis of the disciples when Jesus was arrested is different from ours in the UMC. But ours is a crisis all the same, and many of us have become impatient and fear it is too late. For over 40 years our church has implemented secular and culturally-driven agendas that have brought us to an impasse. And now we find ourselves in a holding pattern waiting for the Judicial Council to rule on the legitimacy of the election of a married lesbian as bishop and the findings of the Commission on a Way Forward.

In a recent letter, Rev. Rob Renfroe, president Good News reminded us that waiting should not be confused with doing nothing. We can pray, fast and prepare ourselves to take action.

At the Good News board meeting we heard from two presenters who were from mainline denominations which have experienced division and split. Each had valuable lessons and seasoned advice to share. Each had watched as their denomination undermined its own scriptural and doctrinal foundations. One speaker described the process as “spiritual genocide.”

Both our speakers offered some very salient advice, which I share with you.

First, we must read the sign of the times. In Matthew 16, Jesus chided the Pharisees and Sadducees for not discerning the signs of the times. We should be prepared for what happens next. We know what likely is to happen. It should not throw us when it does happen. We stand having done all.

Secondly, we should be studying the scriptures that admonish us to beware of false teaching. The crisis we are in is not about a difference of opinion on non-essential matters. It is not about allowing a diversity of legitimate interpretations. The crisis has been caused by the clash of godly, biblical, gospel teaching on one side and on the other, false teaching that gives rise to a prophetic mission to change our understanding of human sexuality. We were reminded that the UMC will either be – “Biblically orthodox or not – Christ honoring or not – Christ centric or not.”

Thirdly, we were advised to enlist those who would do spiritual warfare on behalf of the church and the renewal efforts of Good News, Renew and our other partners. We were reminded that what we are up against “does not come out by anything other than prayer.” We were told:

“This is spiritual warfare, and the devil loves division, distraction, depression and deceit. He hates the Bride of Christ and he will stop at nothing to humiliate her.”

Finally, we were encouraged to focus on gospel mission and be real missionaries even if the institution is not. This means we should be discipling someone at all times.

A Call to Prayer

In this time of uncertainty, Renew encourages you to stand in prayer with Good News and Renew. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might that we will stand against the wiles of the devil, our true enemy. This is not a time to become hasty or weary. We must stand in truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, and faith;

Discerning the signs of the times.

Standing in sound doctrine while rejecting, not compromising with false teaching.

Engaging in serious prayer and spiritual battle for the soul of our church and our culture.

Reaching out to others to both make disciples and grow them in truth, righteousness, peace and faith.

Please join us in fervent prayer. I believe the Lord’s timing is perfect. We are on the threshold of revival and new life in the church.

As we prepare for Easter in 2017, let us remember that first Easter. Confusion and fear abounded when Jesus was taken from the disciples in the garden. They did not realize they were on the threshold of an unfolding of events by which our enemy would be overthrown and the salvation of the entire world would be made possible.

Thank you

Renew is blessed by your prayers and continued support.

Stand with us by going on the Renew Website and download or print the Donations Form. Or you may designate a check to Renew Network and send to:
Good News
P.O. Box 132076
The Woodlands, TX 77393-2076
Fax: 832.813.5327

I hope to see many of you in Memphis, April 28-29 at the Wesley Covenant Association meeting. If you haven’t made plans you can do so here.

Since my last Newsletter, much has happened in the church. But by far, I believe the most transformative event for our church is the creation of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, which met in Chicago in early October. As one young pastor from Texas put it, “It is not often that you get to be part of history.” Indeed, history was made, and you can read more about that HERE.

I like how Bishop Mike Lowery described the meeting when he wrote,

I experienced the event as a movement of the Holy Spirit. Prayer was deep. Hope was bright. A sense of the Spirit’s leading was strong. Obedience to Christ was paramount. Such prayer, hope, sense of the Spirit’s leading, and obedience to Christ remains paramount.

For me, the gathering felt like a daylong prayer and praise meeting, which was interspersed with the preaching and presentations of some of our denomination’s most astute bishops, theologians and pastors. I was particularly interested in the words of the church historian, Rev. Andrew Thompson, because his remarks reflected much of what the Renew Network is all about.

Thompson had been asked to give us an overview of church history. He emphasized that the church throughout the centuries had been tempted to accommodate the demands of the culture, instead of transforming culture with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He began by reminding us that Jesus himself had warned us that we would have tribulation, conflict and challenges in the world, but He had overcome the world.

Thompson powerfully spoke to the challenge before the UMC when he said,

The Church was not meant to be the handmaiden of the culture. The Church was rather called to be the ‘light of the world,’ the ‘city built on the hill,’ and the ‘lamp upon the lamp stand’ giving light to the darkness beyond. (Matthew 5:14-15) If your standard is the ‘spirit of the age,’ then considerations like the sovereignty of God, or the moral law of Christ, or the atoning sacrifice of the cross – these are just embarrassing relics best swept under the rug in the name of ‘progress.’

For over 26 years, part of the work of Renew Network has been to shine light on the places where our church has been tempted to accommodate the prevailing culture rather than be the light of the world and agents of real transformation.

In my last newsletter I wrote about one of these challenges, and what I subsequently learned is known by the term, “sex positivity.” As you may recall or can read about HERE, the United Methodist Women’s 2016 spiritual life study is a book by Helen Brubaker, The Bible and Human Sexuality: Claiming God’s Good Gift. This study asks the church to move away from The Discipline’s stated biblical understanding of human sexuality as fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness based on the moral teaching of Christ.

Instead, Brubaker calls for the church to embrace a sexual ethic built on consent and safety. The sexual ethic known as “sex positivity,” is also built on consent and safety. Sex positivity is the view that sexual activity in all its forms is positive and healthy if consensual and safe. This was clearly taught at the Mission U events of the UMW, which I attended this past summer. But the idea of “sex positivity” goes farther than legitimizing sexual behavior that has been seen in previous times as immoral; it claims that sex should be unrestricted on the basis that it is a human right.

The notion of “sex positivity” is being used in the efforts of organizations like Amnesty International, United Nations AIDS, UNDP, UN Women, Human Rights Watch and the ACLU to decriminalize prostitution – and not just decriminalizing sex workers who are often victims of human trafficking. Some go so far as to advocate the right of men to buy and sell women’s bodies for sex, because sex is positive and good for everyone’s health. You can read about this in the excellent article by Darren Geist in the August 2016 edition of First Things.

Is this what we want the United Methodist Church to adopt as it’s teaching on human sexuality? Is our church teaching to be no more than the culture’s contemporary understanding of sex?

You no doubt will find this an outrageous development, which may seem hard to believe or perhaps overstated. The UMW 2016 spiritual life study does not directly advocate for prostitution to be decriminalized and seen as a right. But be aware that Brubaker’s study, The Bible and Human Sexuality leads the UMW and the UMC far beyond de-stigmatizing sex outside of traditional marriage, or legitimizing homosexual behavior and the right of same-sex partners to marry as a matter of justice.

We are being asked to embrace a new sexual ethic that is unbiblical, particularly harmful to women, works counterproductively to ending sex trafficking, and encourages prostitution and pornography, which are becoming increasingly extreme and violent. Geist shares a disturbing statistic – prostituted women have a mortality rate two hundred times higher than the general population.

Lest we despair, let us remember John’s Gospel tells us Jesus has overcome the world; He has the answer to all that is wrong and evil in our culture. Be encouraged! And know there is a significant group of conservative, evangelical, orthodox believers in the UMC who are committed to being “the light of the world” and the “city on the hill.”

I would encourage you and your church to stand firm by staying prayerfully committed. I also would encourage you to go a step further and join the WCA (HERE).

In the meantime, the Renew Network continues in the work that has been so necessary and important to the women and the church called United Methodist. If you have not made a contribution this year, please do. We need your prayers and we need your financial support. Renew is a group of volunteer women, but our work does come with costs. You, our supporters, have been faithful. We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.

Stand with us by going on the Renew Website and download or print the Donations Form. Or you may designate a check to Renew Network and send to:
Good News
P.O. Box 132076
The Woodlands, TX 77393-2076
Fax: 832.813.5327

Above all, let us not forget the words of Jesus:
My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid… In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
John 16:27, 33b

The UMW spiritual life teaching: The Bible and Human Sexuality: Claiming God’s Good Gift.

August 3, 2016

Dear Renew Network,
By now, you most likely have heard that the Western Jurisdiction elected Karen Oliveto, a married lesbian to the episcopacy. I want to thank the Renew Network for your response to the Good News statement concerning the crisis this action has escalated. If you have not already, please read and sign the statement at http://methodistcrossroads.org. This action is a serious breach of the covenant that holds the United Methodist Church together.

I think a word needs to be said about how we as a church got to this place. We have been at a crossroads for some time. Our official UMC sexual ethic has remained unchanged and rooted in an understanding of scripture that has been clear for thousands of years. But for 44 years, our sexual ethic has been challenged by those who would have our church capitulate to the culture’s demand for an acceptance of sexual freedom that is completely untied from any historical or theological understanding of morality much less holiness. Let me give you an example…

The day after Karen Oliveto was elected bishop, I attended a United Methodist Women’s Mission U event. The UMW’s 2016 spiritual life study is a book by Helen Brubaker, The Bible and Human Sexuality: Claiming God’s Good Gift. Brubaker goes back to the creation account before the fall stressing God’s intention for sexual intimacy before sin entered into His creation. So far so good.

Brubaker wants us to know interpretations of Scripture have affected the church and views of faith and sexuality. By stressing interpretation of the Word, she opens the door for reinterpreting the Bible. This study leans heavily on a revisionist interpretation of God’s Word. The study is designed to help the church accept not only the practice of homosexuality, but also a sexual ethic that would eliminate any scriptural boundaries on sexual practice other than consent and safety.

At UMW Mission U we were reminded over and over that the scriptures were written by only men during a time of cultural patriarchy when women were considered property and had no rights. Laws were not represented as God’s revealed will and standard to help us distinguish righteousness from unrighteousness, but instead they were presented as written from the will of the male perspective.

Brubaker misrepresents Genesis 20 and 26 where Abraham and Isaac claim their wives are their sisters. She states, “Adultery took place and Sarah was powerless in the situation. The same is true of Rebecca.” This is simply untrue; the scripture is rather clear that God himself intervened through a dream and circumstance that protected both Sarah and Rebecca from committing adultery or being raped.

Brubaker reinterprets the story of Sodom and Gomorrah saying, “it makes more sense that this is an episode of violence on the part of men who are out of control and ready to rape whomever they can.” A film clip shown during Mission U introduced the idea that God judged these cities for their lack of hospitality.

A thorough examination of all the misinterpretation of scriptures that pertain to sexual holiness is not possible in this letter. But not only does this study call into question our traditional understanding of morality and God’s plan for sexual intimacy, it also tells us we should take authority and decide a sexual ethic for ourselves. Brubaker quotes Barbara Lee to give us the foundation for making this judgment.

To relate to each other as whole human beings, we need to develop and live by a Sexual Ethic that celebrates sex while treating it with moral integrity. An ethic that begins by recognizing that people of all sexual orientation and gender identities, of all marital status, and of all physical capacities, have the right to experience sex as a healthy and life giving part of their existence.

God’s intention for human sexuality is clearly stated in Genesis 2 and re-affirmed in Matthew 19 by Jesus himself. But at Mission U we were told that we must go beyond our church’s marriage ethic because it says nothing to widows, singles or gays: and it condones harmful behaviors as long as they are in marriage. We are left with a sexual ethic that can be individualized; I decide what is right for me as long as I accept the universal principle of mutual consent and agreement where yes means yes, no means no, and take responsibility for sex being safe.

Toward the end of Mission U our leader played a video of a young teenage girl who told her tragic story of divorce, sexual abuse and early sexual involvement through a series of index cards. Her story was the perfect example of the family and societal breakdown that results when the marriage ethic is discarded for a sexual ethic built on no more than consent and safety.

I was disappointed that, on the surface, none of the women in the class voiced any concern about what was taught. Do we really believe that God cannot transcend the effects of the Fall and make His will known even if His Word was only written by males? Does the church being salt and light, standing in stark contrast to the world no longer matter?

I cannot recommend The Bible and Human Sexuality to the women of the church. This study is a prime example why the church is in the crisis it is in today. And it is a prime example why Renew has worked for over 25 years to expose the political agendas and dare I say false teaching that guide and inform the women through the UMW mission and spiritual studies like the Brubaker book. Our church needs prayer and a mighty move of God – not a new sexual ethic. I hope the Renew Network will alert the women in their churches to the problems of this study.

Thank you for continuing to support Renew through your prayers and your sacrificial giving. You made it possible for us to be at General Conference and amend the Discipline to officially recognize and encourage women’s ministry in addition to that of UMW. What a blessing to the women of the UMC. Please help us continue to be a blessing that we might be salt and light in this time of uncertainty and crisis as we contend for the soul of our denomination.

You can continue to stand with us by going on the Renew Website and download or print the Donations Form. Or you may designate a check to Renew Network and send to:
Good News
P.O. Box 132076
The Woodlands, TX 77393-2076
Fax: 832.813.5327

In His Service,
Katy Kiser
Renew Network Team Leader
renew@goodnewsmag.org

Since our beginning, Renew Network has sought to encourage women to know Christ and to make Him known through various outreach programs. As John Wesley told Thomas Coke when he departed for the American colonies, “Offer them Christ.” That mandate is just as true and important today as it was in the late 1700s. Unless we ourselves are transformed and have a deep relationship with Christ, how can we hope to further the Mission of the UMC to make disciples and transform the world? We cannot give what we ourselves do not have. The world does not need more of the world and its secular agendas. The world needs the transforming power of the Savior.

As Renew Network members, we need to keep these things in mind as we prepare for the 2016 General Conference in Portland, Oregon the second week in May. Whether you will be in Portland or at home, I encourage you to pray for Renew and the rest of the Renewal Coalition. Several crises will be addressed at this GC. In this update, I will address the crisis of declining membership and equitable representation as it relates to the women of the church.

In 1973, the then Deputy General Secretary of the Women’s Division, Theressa Hoover in her article in Response magazine claimed that the United Methodist Women were a million and a half strong in the United States. As recently as 2003 when then Deputy General Secretary, Joyce Sohl gave her farewell address to UMW, the United Methodist News Service unofficially reported that UMW was one million members strong. Actually, the official membership number for 2003 was 765,724.

In 2012, UMW membership was 528,156 women for a loss of 237,568 over a ten year period. Furthermore, the independence granted to UMW at General Conference 2012 has not been able to stem the tide of membership decline.

The latest statistics (2014) from the General Council on Finance and Administration are extraordinary numbers.

In 2014, the United Methodist Church in the United States had around 7 million members, of which 4 million were women. There were 480,000 women in UMW units in the UMC, which means that for every woman who belonged to an official UMW unit in the local church, there were seven women who did not. Furthermore, the statistics show that since 2010 the UMW has lost 90,000 women and over 2,000 units/circles in local churches. There were 32,408 churches in the US in 2014. Less than half had UMW units.

It is also important to note that some UMW women and groups in the local church are in name only. They do not use official program materials, the reading program and Bible studies developed by the New York UMW staff, and some do not support official mission giving. These women and units are nevertheless counted in the official numbers. When you consider those facts, the numbers from GFAC become even more sobering.

In 2010 the bishops and Connectional Table of the church commissioned an outside research company to come up with a plan to help the church be more effective in its mission and change the path of membership decline. The report was called the Call to Action. It recommended effective practices and high-quality ministries for making disciples; it called for diversity and variety in the ways these practices and ministries are adapted in local contexts.

Even before the Call to Action, many of our local churches were following its suggestions for growth and offering vibrant and inspiring women’s ministry in addition to official UMW. In the UMC today, many women attend various Bible studies, ministry programs, prayer groups and participate in both local and global mission opportunities. New evangelical women’s voices have emerged. Indeed the recommendations of the Call to Action Project are being implemented in many local churches.

Many women in the local church have the freedom to expand their ministries in hopes of not only stemming membership decline, but more importantly, with the goal of growing in Christ and offering Him to a hurting and confused world. But at the same time, there are some churches that feel bound by the Book of Discipline to only participate in officially sanctioned ministries.

It is for this reason, that Renew has submitted to the 2016 General Conference two important pieces of legislation, a petition and a resolution calling for the church to recognize the reality in our local churches; that is: there are thriving vital alternative ministries to the official gender-specific ministries of UMW and UMM.

This resolution lifts up the importance of women’s ministry in the local church and encourages local churches to provide supplemental women’s ministry programs that fit the unique needs of women in each church.

I encourage you to call and ask your delegates to General Conference to support these petitions for the sake of fulfilling the mission of this denomination. Please continue to pray for Renew, Good News and the entire Renewal Coalition. Most of all, please pray that our denomination will not abandon our biblical standards, will strengthen accountability, and will adopt the plans and measure the Lord would have us to adopt.

Finally, to all of you who have invested in the work of Renew, please know that your gifts are very much appreciated. You have made it possible for me and others to attend GC 2016 and continue the on-going work of renewal as we follow Wesley’s admonition to “Offer them Christ.”

In the United Methodist Church, all eyes are focused on General Conference. The delegates have been chosen and legislation has been prepared. The stakes are high for the Church. Will the United Methodist Church preserve its integrity or bow to the demand of our culture?

I am discouraged, if not dismayed, that our denominational leaders continue to bend over backward to accommodate the LGBTQ agenda to change the Church’s time- honored teachings on morality and sexuality.

The bishops have allowed this group to disrupt the last five General Conferences that I have attended. After the 2012 General Conference, over two thousand pastors vowed to break church law and have ignored The Discipline – all without any real consequences. This past year the Connectional Table recommended that the church abandon our historical, scriptural teaching on human sexuality. And now the document which contains all the rules and petitions for General Conference, the Advanced Daily Christian Advocate, has issued guidelines for conversation that are clearly weighted to advantage the LGBTQ cause, even to the point of asking all present not to assume male and female pronouns for persons they do not know.

The LGTBQ caucuses have vowed to disrupt our General Conference in Portland with tactics designed to be even more demanding than ever before. These demands and the accommodation of these demands have become more blatantly defiant with each year.

Perhaps you, like me, have been asked by numerous friends, “Why are you still in the United Methodist Church?” Where do we find hope in the midst of this chaos? Where did Jesus’ disciples turn to find hope after He was betrayed, arrested, and crucified? The Gospel of John gives us the answer to all these questions.

Certainly in the days leading up to the Crucifixion, the disciples faced a time of utter confusion, of debilitating anxiety and fear, and, of course, intense suffering and pain. They faced no less, and likely much more, confusion and doubt than we do in our current crisis. Keep in mind that Jesus told His disciples that they would weep and lament and have bitter sorrow, but He promised their sorrow would turn to joy. How so?

Jesus had warned of the lawlessness that would occur. Who can doubt that we are in a time of lawlessness: many protest and ask us to change Church law and the Church’s teaching on human sexuality while bishops, pastors and church staff clearly work contrary to Church teaching, and little or nothing happens to discipline them.

Jesus also warned the disciples that they would be hated, and Jesus traced that hatred to its origin – hatred of Him (John 15: 18-19). The nature of the world is selfish. Jesus points us to the fact that the world’s selfishness presents us with opposition that creates trials for Christians. The resultant hatred is a sign that the disciples are chosen “out of the world.” Let us remember that we too are called “out of the world,” and let us not be tempted to compromise with it.

The nature of Christians is to be love. Love is defined by Jesus Himself: “If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15: 9-10). Real love is characterized by obedience, not by selfish demands that defy scripture or offer misinterpretations of the truth by which we are called to live our lives. Let us not be tempted or confused by failing to understand the true meaning of love. And let us not embrace an understanding of grace that cheapens the love of the Father in giving His only begotten Son. Love is obedience, and grace is not cheap but costly. It is not love to condone what God does not condone.

Part of understanding the joy that would eventually be the disciples’ was Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, whom they had not fully experienced prior to the Resurrection. He tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth. Then Jesus shows them how they will know the truth and the work of the Spirit: The Spirit will not speak on His own authority. “(The Spirit) will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine.” (John 16: 14-15 See also verses 12-15).

Today we are told by the LGBTQ caucuses in the Church that the Holy Spirit is making known new revelation when it comes to our understanding of human sexuality. But we are able to judge these “new revelations” for what they are, because Jesus clearly taught that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are ONE. They are in perfect unity and they do not contradict one another. Furthermore, the Spirit does not contradict God’s Word.

So our hope and joy are in Jesus Himself and in the Holy Spirit. He left us the Spirit that we might be kept in Christ’s teaching and His truth. Hope is also seen in the words He gave the disciples, which are found at the end of John 16. After warning His disciples of the hatred that would come their way, after warning them of the confusion and turbulence that would occur after His arrest, after promising them the guidance of the Holy Spirit – Jesus makes an extraordinary promise. It is found in John 16: 20 and following:

Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman when she is in labor has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born.

New birth is promised! New birth brings joy! Let us not be surprised by our current trial. Let us persevere. I believe out of the travail in the beloved Church of John Wesley, new birth is coming. I believe it, because it is promised by Jesus Himself. Out of the confusion, the doubt, the anxiety, fear, and pain will come the Church of Jesus Christ. It will not be the church proposed by the Connectional Table or encouraged by the Advanced Daily Christian Advocate or demanded by the angry voices. It may not come in the timing we desire. But out of the confusion it will come. The true Church will prevail. And with it will come the real love and healing for which the world is so desperate.

In Christ,

Katy Kiser – Renew Network Team Leader

I want to extend a special thank you to all those of you who remembered Renew this past year. Your prayers and financial gifts are very appreciated. If you did not make an end of the year gift, please prayerfully consider doing so. Our expenses for General Conference will be substantial. Your gift will go a long way to help our Renew team ensure that secular agendas are rejected and needed legislation is passed. There will be more about that in my next email. Until then please don’t forget to visit the website. There you will find both new resources and a Call to Prayer, which I hope you will use and share with others.

Hark the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”

As I write this update to you, it is already the second week of Advent. This past Sunday in our church, we lit the candle of peace and sang that great Wesleyan hymn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Each year at this time, our family receives at least one Christmas card wishing us “Peace.” Often it pictures a wolf lying down with a lamb or a lion with a calf. This year the thought of obtaining the goal of peace seems very far from our reality.

Internationally, not only the threat, but also the instance of terrorism is on the rise. In our own country, we have faced shootings of various kinds and demonstrations that in some cases have led to outrage and destruction. In the United Methodist Church our doctrinal and scriptural differences have brought us to an impasse; the resolution of which promises to be anything but peaceful as we prepare for General Conference 2016. You add on to that the additional pressures of gift buying, decorating, and preparation for the holiday, and “peace” seems indeed unobtainable.

In all this chaos and conflict, we are reminded that Christ was born into a time of incredible unrest. And yet, an angel announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds with the words, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.” And a multitude of heavenly angels praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

God the Father sent His peace to earth through a family and the birth of His only begotten Son. He did not send a political solution or a mighty ruler to overthrow the injustice His people labored under. Instead He sent a baby who would give Himself for us that we might have a peace that passes understanding – a deeper peace than that the world can offer.

As we contemplate and pray for the conflict in our world and in our beloved church, let us contemplate the words of Richard John Neuhaus who said, “The peace that is ours is not a peace of pretending that things are not as they are; nor is it a peace of being blind to conflict. It is the peace of faith. Faith is trust in the Prince of Peace. In the child of Bethlehem, in the powerlessness of a baby, God entered into our conflicts.”

The conflict in the United Methodist Church is shaking our very foundations, which rest on God’s word and the work of His Son on the cross. The carnal desires of some have threatened not only our peace, but also leads away from the moral righteousness, which Christ makes possible for each of us. As we prepare for 2016, we must fervently pray, earnestly work and not abandon the conflict even when the way seems unclear. In this threatening time, let us join the angels and sing:

Hail the Heaven born Prince of Peace
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
Life and Light to all he brings
Ris’n healing in His wings